Jo Sanders Storyteller

Painting a Story With Words

Storytelling With Connie Reagan-Blake, Asheville NC 7-2009

Visiting Rosa and Ted Hicks Appalachian Storytellers on Beech Mt. NC Listening to Cherokee Storyteller Lloyd Arneach, Asheville NC

Connie's weeklong Storytelling WorkShop 7-2009

 

Storytelling with Tim Tingle Storytelling Class University of Oklahoma Santa Fe, NM.    Jonesborough TN Storytelling Class OU with Tim Tingle 

                 

 "My favorite times are when I look into the eyes of the audience and they are living the story with me. My favorite comment from listeners is when children or adults tell me that my smiling eyes are talking to them."

 Listening and Sharing Stories is a Gift we Give to Each Other

  Lisa Eister Storyteller  CAST

Clemson Area StoryTellers Guild (CAST) promotes and celebrates the art of storytelling. The purpose of CAST is the preservation of oral narratives----stories passed down from generation to generation----for families and the community. We also celebrate the performance of stories for all ages, children to adults.

 

A TALE TO TELL    By Meredith Price  Staff Writer Marietta,GA News

JO SANDERS

"Sit down. Relax. Close your eyes and take a deep breath as you prepare to embark on a journey to another world where anything is possible.

Your tour guide on this trip will be a professional storyteller whose goals could be to make you laugh or help you communicate better at work. Maybe they will want you to apply the moral to your life or give you a better understanding of a new culture. Whatever the reason for the story, many storytellers in Cobb County are weaving their tales with gusto and delight for a variety of audiences."..............................

Jo Sanders, who concentrates on making people feel good with her stories, enjoys the connections stories form between people, even across different cultures and languages.

"Storytelling means visually painting a story using words without a lot of props or reading. It provides a way for people to enjoy each other no matter where they are from, and it allows a group to share a good laugh together," says Ms. Sanders, a member of the Southern Order of Storytellers who has been sharing humor with her stories for over 24 years.

Ms. Sanders, a Roswell resident, began telling stories to entertain her grandchildren. She started making tapes of stories for each grandchild and fell in love with the art form. "I've always been theatrically inclined, and I also do a lot of writing," explains Ms. Sanders. "A librarian once told me about the profession and since then, I've been perfecting my art." ...........................................

"Some of the critical things we all work on are tone of voice, pitch, projection and gestures. A good delivery depends on a combination of everything," explains Ms. Sanders. Many storytellers participate in workshops where they practice their skills and then hear feedback about their performance.

"Everyone uses different methods to improve. Some practice in the mirror and some use video. Others just think it through and listen carefully to the way they are telling. In any case, you will never hear the exact same story twice," says Ms. Sanders.

So the next opportunity you have to hear a story woven by a professional storyteller, listen carefully. It will never be recounted in quite the same way again."